Who will succeed SP Santosh Desai after retirement?
MARGAO
With the retirement of South Goa Superintendent of Police Santosh Desai scheduled on May 31, the office of the district police chief has become the subject of intense speculation and debate within police circles and political corridors alike.
The key question doing the rounds is whether the State government will continue with its present policy of appointing officers from the Goa Police Service (GPS) to head the districts, or revert to the earlier practice of posting Indian Police Service (IPS) officers as district Superintendents of Police.
For the first time in several years, both the North and South Goa districts are presently being headed by officers from the Goa Police Service. While Harish Madkaikar is serving as Superintendent of Police for North Goa, Santosh Desai has been heading the South Goa district police.
Before Desai’s appointment, the South Goa district was under the charge of IPS officer Tikam Singh. Desai was posted to the district after Tikam Singh proceeded on leave, and has since continued in the role.
His impending retirement, however, has reignited discussions on whether Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who also holds the Home portfolio, intends to maintain the current arrangement or bring back an IPS officer to lead one of the State’s two key police districts.
Sources within the police department said there is growing lobbying from within the Goa Police Service for one of its own officers to be entrusted with the responsibility of heading the South Goa police district. Senior officers privately maintain that local GPS officers possess a better understanding of the State’s social dynamics, terrain, and ground-level realities, particularly during sensitive law-and-order situations.
“Local officers are more familiar with the pulse of the people and the functioning of the districts. They are often in a better position to respond swiftly and effectively during law-and-order challenges,” a senior police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Police sources further pointed out that several Deputy Superintendents of Police (DySPs), who were recently promoted to the rank of Superintendent of Police by the government, are still awaiting substantive postings befitting their new rank.
“Though promotions were granted, many officers continue to function in the capacities of Sub-Divisional Police Officers. They are yet to be given independent SP-level postings,” sources stated, adding that the South Goa post could serve as an opportunity for the government to place confidence in officers from the State cadre.
The government, however, has remained tight-lipped on the issue, with no official indication yet on who will succeed Santosh Desai after his retirement at the end of the month, fuelling speculation whether the South Goa district will once again come under the leadership of an IPS officer or remain in the hands of the Goa Police Service.
